Nelson Mandela 1 of 5 honorary Canadian citizens

Distinction only handed out in rare cases

There are only five people in all the world who are honorary Canadian citizens, and they’ve all be honoured in the past 30 years.

Raoul Wallenberg

Judith Weiszmann was saved from the Nazi holocaust of World War Two after Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg issued her a phoney passport called a Shutz Pass, Thursday May 9, 2013.

The first honorary Canadian citizen, Raoul Wallenberg was honoured in 1985, nearly 40 years after his death. At the end of June 1944, Wallenberg was appointed First Secretary at the Swedish Legation in Budapest and began a rescue operation for the Jews in the area to escape the Nazis. He was captured, though, in 1945. In 1957, the Soviet Union admitted to having held him in prison where he died on July 17, 1947, at the age of 34. He was made an honorary citizen, according to the Canadian government, “to respect human dignity across national, ethnic and religious differences and to act courageously to combat hate and prejudice.” January 17 has been declared Raoul Wallenberg Day in Canada.

Nelson Mandela

Former South African President Nelson Mandela waving to the media as he arrives outside 10 Downing Street, in central London.

Nelson Mandela was the first living person to receive the honour in 2001, when he was 83. He won a Nobel Prize in 1993, after having spent 27 years in prison and then winning South Africa’s first democratic election.

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Tibetan spiritual leader in exile Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, speaks during the Symposium on States of Consciousness at the World Trade Center in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2011.

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was the third person to become an honorary Canadian citizen in 2006. The House of Commons voted unanimously to award him the recognition because he was ” recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize as one of the world’s leading champions of peace and non-violence.”

Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi smiles during a debate with Myanmar President’s Office Minister Soe Thane on the second day of the three-day World Economic Forum.

Aung San Suu Kyi, one of Burma’s most visible voices internationally and domestically, became an honorary Canadian in 2007. She was presented with the honour in Burma, where she was confined at the time. She is also a Nobel peace laureate and used the opportunity to express her concerns about that year’s upcoming election.

The Aga Khan

His Highness, the Aga Khan received an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa for his service to humanity, January 13, 2012.

The Aga Khan became an honorary Canadian citizen in 2010. The billionaire descendant of the Prophet Mohammed, and a spiritual leader to 15 million Ismaili Muslims around the world, became the fifth and last (so far) person to be honoured with honorary citizenship.